In Episode 6 of The Mike Ye Briefing, I look at timing asymmetry — the difference between waiting because time is working for you and waiting while your options quietly disappear.

I share examples from Express, where we exited as growth plateaued and fast fashion was beginning to reshape retail; Intel Capital, where we monetized more than $5 billion across over 200 investments before the dot-com bubble fully burst; and South by South West, where the Covid shutdown created an unexpected window and Penske Media was first to build the relationship before a formal sale process existed.

The lesson is not that great timing means predicting the future perfectly.

Sometimes timing is judgment.
Sometimes it is luck.
Usually it is some combination of both.

The important thing is being ready when the window opens.

Because the better question is not only, “Is now a good time?”

It is:

What happens to my options if I wait?

In Episode 5 of The Mike Ye Briefing, I look at one of the most dangerous patterns in business: dependency that hides inside growth.

Revenue can be rising. Traffic can be increasing. Customers can be coming in. But if someone else controls the platform, the distribution, the pricing, the customer relationship, or even the assumptions behind the business model, that growth may be more fragile than it looks.

I share examples from a recipe website facing AI search disruption, Long Beach Surgical and payer economics, Sourcing Journal and founder dependency, La Senza and the missed opportunity to serve a broader range of women, and Express, where we exited as growth plateaued and fast fashion was beginning to reshape retail.

The lesson is not that dependency is always bad. Almost every business depends on something.

The real questions are:

Who controls what is making you successful?

What happens if the terms change?

And are you using that relationship as leverage — or becoming owned by it?

Because sometimes growth creates leverage.

And sometimes growth creates more dependency.

In Episode 4 of The Mike Ye Briefing, I look at what happens when a founder finally sees the business from the buyer’s side of the table.

Founders may see loyalty, hustle, relationships, and experience. Buyers may see concentration, dependency, transition risk, and whether the business can continue after ownership changes.

I share examples from Sourcing Journal, where Eddie Hertzman was the face of the company and a multi-year earnout helped bridge founder dependency through the transition; Long Beach Surgical, where we aligned the most productive surgeons through equity ownership; SheMedia, where Samantha Skey emerged as the hidden leader of the next chapter; and BuzzAngle, where the buyer saw strategic value beyond the company as it existed.

The lesson is simple:

A buyer lens is not only about finding problems. It is about understanding what the business depends on, what could break after closing, and how the right structure can turn risk into alignment.

Because when the founder sees the weakness first, it becomes preparation.

When the buyer sees it first, it becomes leverage.